Seaweed - anyone use this?

[heathera]

I went to visit my instructor the other day and her horse are looking amazing. Bouncing with vitality and glowing with health with energy to spare. One is elderly and the other a newly backed youngster and in quite hard schooling work.

I asked what she'd changed and she's switched from a pelleted balancer and mixes to chaff, speedibeet and Seaquim, a dried and powdered form of seaweed. She kindly let me have a small bag and I'm introducing it slowly to the herd and they do seem to be eating it OK.

It's meant to act as a really good mineral supplement and is used extensively with cattle and sheep.

I'm debating moving mine onto it now they've finished their major growth years. Even at only being given half rate of a light balancer the Dales are keeping way too well.

So has anyone else used just seaweed as a supplement? I need to feed something as out soil is very mineral deficient.

I wonder if I could use the seaweed over the summer and the balancer pellets over the winter if they drop condition at all.

Using this rather than balancer would save me over £300 a year too.

[tinkerdorisalison]

I have used it in the past but you do hve to mix it in with chop or something as some don't like the taste.

Lucy feeds it free choice I think - if the ponies want it they take it - if not they don't

[zeldalithgow]

I think Bill Ireland uses it Heather, yes Lucy feeds it free choice

[lucydales]

I get mine from Bod Ayre in Shetland, if you talk to Margaret she'll do you a good deal. It is Bladderwrack not Kelp as horses seem to prefer this in my expereince.

I have granules not meal (powder) as I put it in water. I am very anti putting it in feed (ditto garlic) as they have no choice then if they don't feel like it today.

I've not tried Seaquim (sounds dangerously like Jenny's fishcave, lets not go there! LOL!) so I'll have a look at that and see what it's about.

I rate seaweed!

ETA: Seaquim is ascophyllum nodosum which is what I call Bladderwrack

Bod Ayre: www.seaweedproducts.co.uk/ I buy granules in 20kg bags. Much cheaper than the stuff from the tack shop which is usually Kelp!

[Debbie]

Hmm, I shall have a nosey into this as I have Focus Senior for Galahad and Focus for Blossom.

www.4source.com/products/horse.shtml

That's Blossom's supplement.

And www.4source.com/products/horse.shtml

That's Galahad's.

I also use food grade diatomaceous earth monthly as a dewormer. Its an excellent source of trace minerals. My two adore it, and if I could, I'd simply give it to them daily but that's a tad spendy, so they get it once a month.

Results, Galahad just blossomed overnight on his Focus Senior as it allows him to fully utilize his food.

Blossom, I never did tell a noticeable difference with her health even though she was on Source Focus for well over a year.
So I've recently taken her off it and only give it once ever so often.

Both look really, really good when they're having the diatomaceous earth.

[heathera]

Many thanks for the replies folks. As a result fo the lovely feedback I've started dropping their balancer down even more and upping the seaweed. I'll order a bag in and slowly move over to it. I think I may need more in the winter if they are in work but this is fine for now.

Interesting about the diatomaceous earth Debbie as we're going to start using that externally with the chickens to protect against mites.

[Debbie]

I used to offer my girls (the hens) a pan roughly large kitty litter pan size of diatomaceous earth as their dustbath. They loved it!!! I'd say each of them dusted at least daily, it was one of their greater joys of life. And when they preened their feathers, they got the diatomaceous earth internally as well as the external dusting.

I also mixed a little of the diatomaceous earth in their feed during the spring and summer months to kill the tiny little bugs that would try to invade. It wasn't much at all, just a little bit and then I'd reach into their feeder and blend it all so the diatomaceous earth dusted through the feed. It worked brilliantly to kill the bugs safely.

Anyone reading, though, be utterly sure you use food grade. There is a much cheaper pool grade, but I don't think its safe. Be sure you spend the extra and get the real food grade.